Calls grow for probe of Trump donation to Florida AG
But there are few avenues to go about investigating state’s top law official
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Even as another Democratic state lawmaker called for an investigation of a campaign donation given by Donald Trump to Attorney General Pam Bondi, questions arose Wednesday about who would conduct such a probe.
State Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, wrote to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking the Department of Justice to look into the matter.
“There have been many questions surrounding claims of fraud at Trump University,” Bullard stated. “There is even a greater concern of whether a quid pro quo exists within the office for favorable treatment in exchange for campaign assistance.”
But no one, so far, is heeding calls for an investigation.
Bondi’s fellow Republicans control the Legislature and are unlikely to set up an independent panel to look into the matter. Gov. Rick Scott has referred reporters’ questions to the Trump campaign. Three complaints
There are few other avenues to investigate Florida’s top law enforcement official.
The Tampa Bay Times reported Wednesday that J. Whitfield Larrabee, a Boston lawyer, filed three complaints alleging the donation violated state ethics laws, state election laws and the Florida Bar’s code of conduct for attorneys. They could trigger a probe by the Florida Commission on Ethics or the Florida Elections Commission. Those boards have little power to impose penalties beyond fines, however.
The Trump campaign has said that his charity, the Trump Foundation, made a clerical error in giving $25,000 to And Justice for All, a Bondi political committee, on Sept. 17, 2013. That admission came after the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed an IRS complaint against the foundation, since political donations by charities are prohibited.
Four days earlier, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Bondi’s office was considering whether to join a class-action lawsuit in New York against Trump University after receiving complaints from customers its real estate investing seminars were worthless and the school bilked them for thousands of dollars. Bondi’s office later opted not to join the suit, telling complainants to search for lawyers online or join the New York suit. ‘That’s a problem’
Bondi’s office did not return calls for comment from the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday or Wednesday. On Tuesday she provided a statement to some news outlets saying stories suggesting a quid pro quo between the donation and the decision not to investigate were “misleading.”
This week, the Associated Press reported she personally solicited the donation from Trump in the weeks before it was given and that her political committee tried to return the contribution but was rebuffed by the Trump Foundation.
Democrats said they aren’t relenting in pushing for Bondi to provide a clearer explanation, though they wouldn’t talk Wednesday about how they might force a probe.
“If it looks like a law may have been broken — which we’ll never know — then that’s a problem,” said Florida House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford of West Palm Beach, who along with the Democratic Party called for an investigation of the donation on Tuesday.
The scandal has resurfaced in recent months amid Trump’s bitter campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. His former rival, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, pointed to the Trump University lawsuit regularly during stump speeches.
Bondi was among the first elected officials in Florida to endorse Trump and is scheduled to appear with him Saturday at a rally in Tampa.